New Day

"Orion, mommy is trying to get this all done. Could you please go play inside, sweetheart?"

Jessie stood in the middle of her kitchen, her pale green eyes smiling as she peered at her son. The boy was currently covered from cheek to cheek to both little hands in chocolate icing, and only beamed at her when she spoke to him. The boy stuck his fingers in his mouth again, giggling when the she-wolf stepped over to him quickly, fleeing into the living room and peering around the corner cutely as his mother went back to work. Dragging the back of her hand across her forehead, she peered out the window, smiling a little to herself before picking up the bowl of batter she'd been stirring to work on it again. Today was her husband's birthday, and she wanted to surprise him. Though waiting to surprise him until he got home ran the risk of him thinking she forgot about it, which wouldn't do. She sighed, peering at the ingredients written on a piece of paper thoughtfully, pulling out the baking pan it called for and spraying it with non-stick stuff. "I'll be upset if I mess this up... Who knew German Chocolate would be so difficult to make?" Once she was sure that the batter was smooth enough, she poured it into the baking pan, jiggling it a little to get it to settle before turning the oven on.

Now she had to wait for the oven to go 'ding!' before putting it in. But she still wasn't anywhere near done. She still had things to do, people to notify, and had to go to the store to buy dinner on top of everything. So it was a mild relief (okay, a huge relief), when someone let themselves into her home and called out to her. "Hey, Jess! I'm here! Where's my favorite- AH! Attack of the pup!" Laughing quietly to herself, Jessie stepped lightly towards the living room, hiding a smile to see Jeremiah rolling about on their floor with Orion on top of him, probably trying to pin his uncle down or something. "Jer, you're just in time." The wolf looked up from the floor, setting the boy aside before sitting up, tilting his head a bit. "Just in time for what? We're not eating without Kythen, are we?" The woman shook her head, the corner of her mouth twitching as she fought a laugh. "No, you are going shopping for me." Ignoring the mildly indignant look from the man, she walked forward and pressed a crisp list into his hand, followed by a bank card. "I trust you to get everything on this list and bring it right back. If you don't, I'll lock you out of our home for a month." "You can't do that," Jer began, making a face at his brother's wife. "Ky wouldn't let you." It was the she-wolf's 'try me' look that finally got him up and out the home, which left her to her baking...

A few hours after Jeremiah had come back, the dinner was made and the cake was carefully hidden elsewhere. Orion was cleaned off, and all three were in their best clothing. It was time to wait for Kythen. But they had a much bigger surprise waiting for him... They just wanted to make sure dinner was done with before giving him the other surprise. Juuust in case he didn't like it, they didn't want him to be around any sharp objects. Just in case.

Despite it being his birthday, Kythen worked his chocolate shop with plans to take Jessie and Orion out for dinner. He didn't think Jessie had forgotten. She knew how busy Death by Chocolate could be, especially when the regulars knew he was working so he didn't figure she'd stop by for his birthday. His employees had helped him celebrate with a Death by Chocolate Cupcake (his own creation for the shop, double chocolate cupcake batter with milk, white and dark chocolate chips and chocolate frosting topped with dark chocolate sprinkles and a sugar skull), a couple small gifts and a special birthday tip jar specifically for Kythen. Which meant that some of his regular customers chipped in for his birthday as well, tipping generously for his birthday and still tipping for the employees as well.

At any rate, the day went smoothly and he enjoyed working at his shop anyway, so he was in high spirits when he arrived home. His smile only widened when he saw Jeremiah's car in the driveway. If Jeremiah was there that meant Jessie had planned something and dragged Jeremiah into it. Either that or Jeremiah had planned something with Jessie's help. Either way, he was smiling when he stepped through the front door into his home and sniffed the air. The scents of a home-cooked dinner filled his nose but under that was something else. "Chocolate with hints of coconut and pecan...someone baked a German Chocolate cake earlier today and hoped the smell of dinner would cover it. No such luck. Should've borrowed someone else's oven." He announced, scooping up Orion who'd come racing into the room when he heard Ky's voice.

"Happy Birthday Daddy!"

"Aw thank you bud! Did momma back a cake today?"

Orion giggled and shook his head. "Nope. Cupcakes for the bake sale. So stay outta them because they're not for you."

Kythen merely laughed and kissed Orion's forehead before closing the door and heading deeper into the house in search of Jessie and Jeremiah.

Jessie and Jeremiah were hidden away in the kitchen, leaning against the counter as they listened for Kythen's truck to approach, chatting quietly back and forth about the 'surprise'. "I just hope he doesn't get angry... Are you sure this was a good idea?" She asked her brother-in-law, her green eyes darting towards the living room area every couple of minutes. The male wolf nodded, stretching a bit and yawning before poking the other in the side, flashing the trademark Lyaer grin of reassurance to soothe her. "I'm sure it's a good idea. He's going to be thrilled. ... I hope." He added, laughing lightly when the she-wolf growled a little and smacked his arm. "This isn't funny! What if it up- Did you just hear something?" Motioning for the woman to stay back, Jer crept forward a few steps, listening hard before turning to flash her a thumbs up. "That's his truck. I'm going to make sure that the surprise remains a surprise." And with that he grinned again and trotted off towards the bedrooms, the soft murmurs of him speaking to someone able to be heard before the door closed quietly behind him. She remembered that the code phrase was 'and that cake was troublesome' (though why Jeremiah chose that was beyond her), so she had to wait for the time to reveal the secret.

Her invisible wolf ears pricked forward when Kythen actually entered the house, and she shook her head a bit at his announcement. That was her husband, alright. Using his nose and nearly ruining the entire surprise. Instead of replying to him, she only smiled, smoothing down her Dress and waiting for him to come looking for her... And probably Jeremiah, seeing as how his brother's car was parked outside. She held a hand over her mouth to muffle a laugh when Orion greeted his father, shaking with silent laughter when the boy told the older wolf off. Not for him indeed. Kythen's laughter sent the familiar flutter rushing through her stomach, the same way it had when she'd first met him ever. And had done every time since. His laugh made butterflies, his smile made her melt, and once he actually was within sight, she only smiled back at him. "Happy Birthday, love." She murmured, walking over to him with the click-click of her high heels following.

Jessie gave their son on the forehead before giving Kythen a light kiss on the lips, smiling through it before stepping back and tilting her head. "How was work?" It was innocent enough, even though she could practically feel Jeremiah listening for the code phrase. Over excited wolf was over excited, but oh well.

Ky set Orion down briefly to remove his jacket and shoes and swatted his son's hand lightly when the young wolf reached for the cupcake box he'd set down upon entering the house. "Those are for after dinner. You keep out of them."

"There's only two. One for me and mom. Why didn't you bring one home for you?" The innocent question only made Ky smile as he re-closed the box and picked both it and Orion back up to look for Jessie.

"Because I already had mine at work."

"You didn't wait 'til after dinner then."

"Because I had mine after lunch. Don't worry, I didn't break the rules."

"Good."

Which left the wolf shaking his head when he entered the kitchen and was greeted by his wife. He returned the light kiss and smiled back at her. "Thank you, love." He told her, putting the cupcakes on the counter and leaning against it. "They threw me a little miniature party, complete with a Death by Chocolate cupcake just for me." He told her, glancing out the door and clearly looking for something. "Where's Jeremiah? His car's in the driveway so that means he's here." He added, turning back to look at Jessie with a knowing smile. "You two are planning something. You should know by now I am not that easy to surprise." He told her, knowing there had to be something going on and he was determined to figure it out. He hadn't thought much of it but there had been two other scents intermingled with Jeremiah's in the driveway. Two very familiar scents. But he'd dismissed it as wishful thinking. Maybe he was wrong...

Jessie's smile remained innocent for the most part as Kythen told her about his day, said smile brightening just a touch at the mention of the mini-party. "They did? That was nice of them. I'm assuming it was an overload of chocolate, just to make you happy?" She asked, folding her hands behind her back and continuing to smile... Which only twitched faintly at the mention of Jeremiah. "Hm? Oh, he went to the bathroom. He should be out in a few minutes." Was given as a reply, her words coming easily enough, and she barely reacted to her love's knowing smile. The only hint he would get would be the quick blink she gave in response, and she gave a bit of a dramatic sigh as she smiled back. Truth be told, he was incredibly difficult to surprise, but with luck the true surprise would remain a surprise... At least until she was ready to reveal it. She turned and kneeled, opening one of the cabinets and pulled out a lovely Cake Plate, with his birthday cake settled inside.

She set it down on the counter and pulled off the lid, completely forgetting the fact that they hadn't had the cake plate before. "Do you like it?" She asked, her green eyes hopeful as they flickered to her husband. The plate had, in fact, been a gift from Kythen's mother... Though Jessie wasn't sure if the older wolf had bought it, or if it'd been the one they'd had at home. Regardless, she competely forgot about this tidbit as she presented the cake, carefully angling her body a bit so her voice would carry more. "Go ahead and try the frosting. I made it from scratch." She peered at the cake with a mildly bitter look to her eye before saying, "And that cake was troublesome." Her eyes flickered back up to the other and she offered a small shrug, almost as if to say 'but what can you do?' It'd been worth it; the cake was absolute perfection, if she could say so herself.

Kythen flashed her a smile when she guessed what his cupcake had been. "Mhm. They're a special item at the store. Chocolate cupcake, white, dark and milk chocolate chips, chocolate frosting and sprinkles. And when we first made them one of the girls thought it would be amusing to add a sugar skull and call if Death by Chocolate." It had, of course, been his own creation (and a bit of an accidental one at that), but it had been a hit with several of his customers so he now made one small batch of them every Wednesday and they sold rather quickly. "The best birthday present this wolf could hope for is a Death by Chocolate cupcake for his birthday. Though I could think of a few things that would make my day better." He told her with a wink, setting Orion down and letting the young wolf scamper off to play until they were ready to eat. Of course his smile turned to a confused frown when she pulled out the cake plate. Not because of the cake inside, oh no, he'd known that was hiding somewhere in the house, but because of the plate itself.

Her question received only a a small noise of acknowledgement as he continued to frown at the plate. Though he did seem to realize she would want a better response than that and nodded, offering her a smile though there was still that look of confused thoughtfulness on his features. "Hmm...yes it's lovely Jess. Thank you." It was, perhaps, not the reply she'd have wanted but for the moment it was the best she'd get. Her invitation to inspect the cake did draw him forward and he did dab a small bit of the frosting from the corner with his finger but it was the lid to the cake plate he pointed at, particularly a barely noticeable dent in one of the metal bars. "That was Grandma Benson's. She gave it to Mom when she got married. Dad dropped it on Jer's tenth birthday. Bent the handle a bit and dented it right there. Mom nearly killed him for it. There's no way at all mom would ship that here in the mail and you didn't bring it back with you the last time we went to visit." So he had smelled his parents in the driveway. Which meant they were in the house somewhere, most likely wherever Jeremiah had disappeared to. "So where are they? I thought I smelled them in the driveway and I know mom had to have brought that plate here." He questioned with a smug look on his face, taking another swipe of frosting off one corner (though he was sorely tempted to go right down the middle just to see how she'd react). If not for the cake plate Jess might actually have succeeded in surprising him. "But the cake is lovely and the frosting is delicious. You really should consider baking for Death by Chocolate. I know you'd love it." He told her, dabbing the frosting from his finger onto her nose. "Don't pout. I love everything you've done for me for my birthday. Don't let the fact you couldn't surprise me worry you." He added before he pulled her into a kiss.

'Hmm yes it's lovely'. Not entirely the response she wanted, which showed in the way her eyes dimmed slightly, though she smiled when he tasted the frosting. Of course, when he pointed out the dent on the plate, that completely wiped away any sort of disappointment to her features, replacing it with a carefully controlled look... Which was quickly joined by a raised eyebrow when he started talking. Oh great... She probably just ruined the entire surprise... Yep. She did. The wolf's eyes went to being unreadable once he explained the origins of the plate (which she already knew), and only canted her head ever so slightly to the side. "Jer brought it with- ... Oh, I give up." Jessie sighed, shaking her head and tossing her hands up in the air a bit draumatically. "They're in the house. I'm not telling you where though." She may have ruined the surprise, but damnit, she wouldn't make it a complete waste. The woman was unable to keep the pout from sneaking onto her face, though she did smile at his offer. "I really would consider it, but where would I find the time, love? I'm glad you like it though. I was worried I messed up on it." She gave a tiny noise and went cross-eyed trying to look at the frosting on her nose, giving up when he spoke up again. A smile budded across her lips when he spoke up again, and she fully embraced him with the kiss, kissing back and closing her eyes.

... Kissing back at apparently the wrong moment. Jeremiah was just beginning to lead his parents out of the room and to the kitchen just as Jessie was all but gluing herself to her husband. "Happy Birthday, Ky-" He stopped just in the kitched, one eyebrow raised before looking over his shoulder at his parents. "I think we should wait a little while." Was murmured to them, though he couldn't help the bemused smirk on his face. But Korvin Lyaer wasn't having it. He leaned against the wall in the kitchen, his arms crossed over his chest and one of his eyebrows raised. "Ahem!" He cleared his throat, smiling in a way that made it clear where Jer and Ky got their grins from. "Hope we aren't interrupting anything." He called, his eyes twinkling a bit as he peered as his daughter-in-law and oldest son. The younger wolf just shook his head, hiding a laugh and shoved his hands in his pocket.

Kythen merely flashed Jess a triumphant smile when she gave in and admitted his parents were somewhere in the house. It didn't really matter where they were hiding, just the fact that they were there and he had figured it out, albeit with a little accidental help from Jessie. "My guess is probably our bedroom but where they are isn't really all that important. I could figure it out easily enough if I wanted to." He also knew he'd be treading in very dangerous waters if he continued to push and, wisely, let the subject drop before he really upset his mate. It was his birthday, he really didn't want to spend it sleeping on the couch. "Very true. Pity. I know the customers would love to see you in there more often." He had one of their family portraits dsiplayed at the store and he constantly had customers asking him when he'd bring his wife and son in for them to meet. He did bring Orion in after school on occassion and Orion greatly enjoyed being spoiled by the workers and customers. Ky had to constantly remind them that they weren't allowed to fill his son up with sweets before dinner.

And leave it to Jeremiah to walk in just as he was getting into a proper 'thank you' kiss. He'd been vaugely aware of the footsteps coming toward the kitchen but it was Jeremiah's 'happy birthday' that really got his attention and he frowned, making a disappointed noise and withdrew from the kiss as his father spoke up. "Looks like we'll have to continue that conversation later." He whispered to Jess, placing a light kiss on her cheek before turning to face his parents looking mildly embarassed hat having been caught. "As a matter of fact you are. Could you all leave and come back in like...ten minutes?" He questioned with a half-smile, earning a giggle from Orion who was happily nestled in his grandmother's arms. "I don't really think that's the appropriate greeting for your mother and father, Kythen. Imagine, kicking his own parents out just so he can make kissy faces with his wife." Though Amaya may have looked stern it was impossible to hide that mischevious glint in her eye or the faint smile tugging at her lips as she spoke. Clearly Kythen and Jeremiah didn't get their humor only from their father. Little Orion, not to be left out and knowing instinctively that they were picking on his father, turned to Amaya and patted her cheek gently. "It's okay Gramma. I love you even if daddy doesn't." He said with such sincerity the older wolf couldn't help a laugh even as her eldest son came over and wrapped both her and his father into a hug.

"Oh don't think I'm not glad to see you both. I'm just surprised these two managed to convince you to fly out here for this." He told them, giving his mother a kiss on the cheek and poking Orion in the side. "And you, you little traitor, just wait and see if I give you any cupcakes after dinner." He teased, earning a mock glare from his mother. "Just you try it, wolf. My grandson isn't going without cake and ice cream today. Grandmas are supposed to spoil their grandbabies and I intend to do just that." Kythen threw his hands up in surrender and turned his back on the group. "You'll all traitors. Jess. Do you see how they're treating your husband? And on my birthday too." He pouted, giving an over-dramatic sniffle as he finished speaking.

It would be hard to miss the sparkle in the she-wolf's eyes when her love whispered in her ear. She turned her face to give him a light nuzzle as he passed, waiting until he'd hugged his mother before going to hug both of his parents herself, squeezing the older she-wolf affectionately. "There weren't any problems with your flight, was there?" She asked, smiling a bit before tickling her son in his grandmother's arms. Amaya wasn't the only one who 'disapproved' of Kythen's answer, however. Jessie hid a smile from the other wolf, smacking her husband playfully on the arm and raised an eyebrow at him. "Kythen Lyaer! That's not the way you greet your parents." She chidded, her lips twitching a bit as she fought a smile. Korvin gave a laugh at little Orion's words as well and mussed up his son's hair when he was hugged, patting his boy on the back and tilting his head to the side a bit. "Amaya, don't act like we haven't done the same thing in the past." He drawled, giving his love a quick kiss on the cheek before turning his attentions to his grandson. Jeremiah, who'd been leaning against the wall and out of the way, merely grinned, waiting until his brother was done hugging their parents before lunging and wrapping him in a bear hug.

"Kyyyyyy you're getting so olllldddd!" He crowed, squeezing his brother before releasing him and standing back with a grin. At the traitor comment, the younger Lyaer only grinned more, rubbing the back of his neck and looking around the kitchen in mock sheepfulness (... I'm not sure that's even a WORD. <<; ). "Heh... That would have been my idea, bro." He admitted, his baby-blue gaze flicking back to his older sibling and...promptly grinning again. "Ain't that the truth. Jeremiah and Jessica paid for our tickets." Jessie cast her gaze at the floor to hide the sparkle in her eyes, which made Jer laugh and move over to nudge her affectionately. "Uh uh. No hiding. Go on. Tell Kythen you're a traitor too." The she-wolf stifled a giggle at her husband's over-dramatic display and moved over to wrap her arms around him from behind, nuzzling her nose into his shoulder before squeezing him and giggling. "Guilty as charged, love. ... And you totally earned it." She danced backwards from him, folding her hands behind her back and smiling brightly at him before shooing him out of the kitchen. "Now go get dressed for dinner, or else Jer might eat everything for us."

Which...made Jeremiah pause as he sniffed around the over, looking every bit the kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He grinned sheepishly and straightened, rubbing the back of his neck and chuckling a bit. "What? I'm hungry!" "You were born hungry, Jeremiah." His father smiled and shook his head, leaning back against the wall a bit more. "I was not." The younger wolf pouted, though he couldn't keep the bemused twinkle from his eye. "Ohhhh yes you were. If I remember correctly, your first word was 'hungry'. Not mum or Pa. Hungry." Jessie giggled, looking anywhere but at Jer as he placed his hands on his hips. "Now you're picking on me?" "Someone has to!" Ah...the fun of an interesting family...

Kythen grabbed his arm like it hurt when Jess smacked him and looked pleadingly at his mother. "Do you see how she treats me? I am so abused." He pouted only to get a playfully stern look from his mom and he rolled his eyes, dropping his hand and giving up. Clearly his entire family had turned on him for his birthday. Except maybe his father. "Oh don't you start, Korvin Lyaer. We were infinitely more discreet." She scolded though there was a mischevious look in her eyes when her mate kissed her cheek. Orion was clearly enjoying having his entire family around and had dissolved into fits of giggles at the way everyone was treating his father.

Kythen, of course, had found himself wrapped up in Jeremiah's bear hug. "Says the wolf that's only a year younger than I am. If I'm old so are you." He teased back, prodding his brother in the side at the sheepish look Jeremiah was giving him. "Way to accept the blame, runt. But I'm sure it wasn't all your idea." He said, confirmed by his father speaking up. "So it's true then. You're all traitors, trying to hide things from me, picking on me and interrupting a really good kiss." He ranted still with his back turned but falling silent and leaning back a little into Jessie's embrace. "I did not." He teased, turning around to try and tickle her only to have her dance out of reach. Still smirking, he wiped an imaginary tear from his eye and stepped out of the kitchen. "Oh yes, I'll go change but maybe I'll just go out for dinner and leave y'all here to enjoy my birthday without me." He told them and with that parting shot scurried off to the bedroom to change.

With Ky out of the room, the family needed a new atarget for their playful teasing and Jeremiah just happened to be the prefect one. "I swear if the pair of you hadn't spent so much time chasing after each other you'd both have been tubby little wolf cubs. Your brother's first word was 'coco'. And that wasn't something he grew out of as we all know." Not that she disapproved of his love of chocolate. In fact, she and Korvin had been the ones to encourage him to do something with his passion for cooking and that love of sweets. They'd even helped him get Death by Chocolate started, offering funding and moral support when things didn't go the way they were supposed to. And look at him now, the store was doing well, he enjoyed his job and still worked at Pop A Top on weekends because it annoyed Korvin for reasons she couldn't explain. But Ky enjoyed the job and she'd support him no matter what, as would his father despite whatever issues he had with Ky's choice of work.

Once Kythen was off getting dressed and the family turned on Jeremiah, things seemed to take a turn for the...more playful. Jessie had moved to stand near the wolf, and her husband's sibling seemed to take a leaf out of his book as far as dramatics went. He huffed, crossing his arms and sticking his nose in the air as he looked away from his family, jutting his bottom lip out and quivering it a little. "I see how it is. You guys are just malicious and feel the need to pick on us poor folk. Meanies." Korvin rolled his eyes good naturedly, glancing in the direction his eldest had gone and chuckled. "I doubt that boy will ever grow out of his chocolate fascination. And Jeremiah, you keep making that face, and it's gonna stay that way." He gave a sort of eyebrow raise before grinning and turning his attentions back to Orion.

Jessie, for the time being, was busy poking and prodding Jer in an attempt to get him to stop pouting, which only served to make him squirm and wriggle. "I swear, you get it from Kythen. Cut it out, wolf, or else I won't serve you dinner." At the empty threat (though he didn't know it was), Jeremiah turned and widened his eyes at his brother's wife, looking every bit like a kicked dog. "You wouldn't... I've been waiting all day to eat." That got Korvin's attention again and he blinked a bit. "Then it's your own fault for not eating lunch or breakfast, now ain't it?" He earned a mild glare from his younger son, and only chuckled in response. "I had breakfast... But I love Jess's cooking enough to want to save myself for it." He patted his stomach a bit and gave a tiny whine, looking in the direction Ky had disappeared to with a longing look. "If he's not back within two minutes, I'm going in after him." And the tone and resolute facial expression he used made the family erupt in laughter. Which made him pout, stick his nose in the air, and sulk all over again.

Kythen, having a werewolf's hearing, heard his father's comment as he disappeared into the bedroom and smiled to himself. His dad was right, he would never grow out of his love affair with chocolate. It was just part of who he was. And a love his son shared. "I won't either granpa! I'm gonna run the store when daddy's old." Orion announced and Kythen had to stifle a laugh. If Death by Chocolate was still going and Orion still wanted it when he was old enough sure, Kythen would pass the responsibility on to his son. But that was a long way off yet and for now everyone was quite happy where they were.

Ky changed quickly as his family picked on his brother smiling and shaking his head at their comments and the laughter. He leaves the room for two minutes and he misses all the fun. Oh well, he could pick on Jeremiah whenever he wanted to. He straightened his shirt and glanced at one of the pictures on the wall and smile. It was of him and Jessie on the beach in Brazil on their honeymoon. It had been on their honeymoon that Jessie had gotten pregnant with Orion and he couldn't have been happier to hear that news. But Orion was getting older now and he worried about what their son might think about a younger sibling. Because he couldn't deny the fact that he had always wanted children and as much as he loved his son he would rather see Orion have siblings than grow up an only child. He'd intended to talk to Jessie about it tonight but with his family there it would have to wait.

With his smile in place and dressed in black jeans and a dark gray dress shirt, he headed back to the kitchen, moving quietly and allowing the sound of their laughter to mask the sound of his approach. He slipped up behind Jessie and wrapped his arms around her. "Smells like chicken, roast potatoes and.....is that green beans with almonds? Mom gave you her recipe too didn't she?" He questioned, smiling as he kissed Jessie's cheek and rested his chin on her shoulder. "And if you ever come into my room uninvited I'll toss you out on your tail faster than you can 'chocolate'." He added, leveling a playful glare at his brother over Jessie's shoulder.

"Will you now! I'm not sure if your Daddy will ever grow old though. After all, I'm still young." Korvin posed a little, earning a snort and a grin from the pouting-son of his. "Right, because you're such a spring chicken." Jer teased, seizing his chance for revenge as he smirked at his father. He got a playful glare for that comment, an equally playful growl escaping the older Wolf as he turned back to his kid. "Jeremiah Lyaer, are you calling me -old-?" He asked, his tone implying a hidden and ready Gibbs-smack depending on the answer. "Weeeeell... If the shoe fits..." He drawled, grinning and yelping as he jumped out of arm's reach of his parent, chuckling a bit. "I'm kidding, Pa. You haven't aged a day past twenty five!" This caught Jessie's attention, and she raised her eyebrow at her husband's brother and tried hard to hide a smile. "Woooow. Sounds to me like he's sucking up, Korvin. Probably wants a raise in his allowance." She waved a little when he glared lightly in her direction, giving an 'innocent' shrug and hiding another smile.

While they were all having a grand time picking on Jeremiah, Kythen used his ninja skills to come up behind Jessie. She gave an amusing sort of squeal and laughed, leaning back into his embrace and smiling happily at her family. At his comment, she peered at him slyly out of the corner of her eye, tilting her head a bit thoughtfully. "She might have..." Her attention was drawn back to Jer though, as he gave a noise similar to a whine and huffed. "Fine. I see how it is. This family doesn't love me. I'm leaving!" He then proceeded to start to walk back to the living room, only to be cuffed lightly by his father when he passed close enough. "Sheesh... You and your brother always have to be so dramatic... Sit down at the table, Wolf. Kythen's back and we're eating." The younger wolf paused, sniffed dramatically, then peered over at his brother. "You're not allowed to leave the room anymore. They pick on me when you're gone." With that he turned and headed into the dining room area, most likely with the rest of the family following.

"Well I'll still help him when I'm big enough." Orion replied to his grandfather's statement. Whether Kythen would actually grow old or not was, apparently, still up for debate. Orion knew his grandpa was older than his dad but he didn't look 'old' like some of his friend's grandpas or Great Grandpa Jaisen. For a young wolf who hadn't yet learned all there was to know about being a werewolf it was mildly confusing and he chose not to believe or disbelieve anything just yet. "It's been a long while since either of them got an allowance, Jessica. If he's sucking up it's because he's either going to ask for money or he wants something else." Though there was no trace of playfulness in Amaya's voice, there was still that playful gleam in her eye, noticeable only to those who knew her or her sons well.

Ky gave a slight huff at Jessie's answer and laughed when Jeremiah tried to leave. "Let him go. If he wants to be grumpy and not celebrate my birthday with me then we don't want him here." Ky told his father, with a wink that Jeremiah wouldn't see. "Neither of you are leaving now shoo. Out of the kitchen with the three of you. Jessica and I will bring dinner out." Always the voice of authority, Amaya spoke up, handing Orion over to Korvin and shooing her husband out of the kitchen. "That's mom for you. Always taking char-ow!" Kythen had finally detached himself from Jessie and was about to grab a corn bread muffin from the basket only to be interrupted by his mother wielding a wooden spoon he could have sworn she procured out of thin air. A wooden spoon that she used to whack his hand hard enough to cause him to yelp. "Kythen Joshuah Lyaer we will bring the food to you in a moment. Now get out!" She ordered, threatening him with the kitchen utensil until he slunk out of the kitchen to join his father, son and brother at the table. Gramma got you with the spoon didn't she pa? Orion asked brightly as Ky settled into his chair and winked at his son. "She sure did but one day I'll sneak something past her." He announced, trying to ignore the faint ache in his hand where the spoon had gotten him.

Amaya's comment earned a barely noticable smile from Jessie before the boys moved into the dining room to settle down, shaking her head at her family's antics. If there was anything that can be said, there was never a dull moment when the Lyaers got together. Jeremiah always provided an easy target to pick on, Kythen was every the playful older brother... Orion tossed in what he could, and now with Korvin and Amaya here, it seemed like things were complete. If only for the time being. The she-wolf was determined to enjoy this for as long as she could, so she couldn't really help but stifle a giggle when the older she-wolf smacked her husband's hand with a wooden spoon. His yelp earned an apologetic smile from Jess, and she shrugged a bit as he fled to join the other males. "Some will never learn." She chuckled, gathering a dish in her hands and turning to her mother-in-law with another bright smile. "I might have to use the spoon technique when Jeremiah is over, though. It's hard trying to get dinner ready when that wolf is sticking his fingers in everything to 'taste' them."

She made a face, then sighed, carrying dishes of food to the table before taking a seat next to her mate, kissing his cheek and reaching for the hand that Amaya had previously smacked. Korvin was telling Jeremiah some sort of story, which had the younger wolf all but braying like a donky. "No way! And then what happened?" He asked excitedly, looking a bit like a kid as he gazed at his father. "Well, then we- Mmm... Dinner smells great, Jessie." The older wolf sniffed appreciatively at the food that the she-wolf was starting to serve, and Jer did an amusing sort of...pup wriggle as he waited for his plate. "Oh man oh man oh man... It looks so gooooood!" He reached out eagerly to take his plate, only to be pinned with a stern look from Jess. "Wait your turn or I really will lock you outside." He wilted a little and leaned back, giving her the time to finish handing everyone their plates before sitting down again.